The Ultimate Truth
by Only-eyes-for-Riddick
Summary: Part 5 in the Elemental series. Airiala has just discovered the Ultimate Truth only moments before the Final Battle is to begin. But with every truth there are consequences. Will Airiala be able to face them and save everyone?
1. Chapter 1

**Part 5 of 6 of the Ultimate Truth series. Please enjoy and just a reminder, I do not own Harry Potter.**

The sun was bright this last morning of the school term, but Airiala only felt darkness.

The pages that Lando had given her weren't wrong, but she realized now that they didn't apply to the Wind Elemental. She was too free and too unlikely to fall in love.

She looked down at the diary she had just read, the diary that contained the Ultimate Truth.

Tears filled her eyes and slowly made their way down her cheeks, but she didn't allow herself to make a sound.

It made sense now why her powers weren't working, why she having so many issues with it. She had told Severus that she basically felt nothing but friendship for him. A lie just as Wendy had told, claiming indifference rather than just coming out and admitting the feelings.

Gabriel had asked Wendy if there was any reason not to return to the priesthood and Wendy didn't admit how she felt, just as Severus had asked her if that night meant anything to her and she blamed it on loneliness.

Now Severus hated her and it was only by admitting her love for Severus that she would be able to activate the Ultimate Truth, but doing so would kill her. If she continued to say nothing and allowed her indifference to stand then she wouldn't be able to use her powers to help in the battle.

She would be a burden to everyone and could end up getting someone killed.

She stood, letting the diary fall to the floor at her feet. She looked out the window at the rising sun and knew that today would be the day that Voldemort would attack, today would be the day that she would have to finally admit the Ultimate Truth.

Today would be her last day on Earth.

* * *

Raina could tell that something was wrong.

The wind outside wasn't moving. It was almost like the world had stopped, but she knew that couldn't be the case.

The wind would always remain in motion as long as the Wind Elemental was alive, and Airiala was alive.

She looked out across the lake and saw no ripples, no waves, not a single bit of motion. It was frightening, looking out a window at what could be a painting.

She looked at Pyro, who had walked up next to her, and he too had a look of worry upon his face when looking out across the still landscape.

"This isn't good," he said.

"I know," she replied, "but I don't know what it is at all either. I have no memory of this ever occurring before. Do you?"

Pyro shook his head. "None. It's like this has never happened before, but at the same time I have feeling like it has. Like it happened and I just don't...remember..."

Pyro turned to Raina with shock in his eyes. Raina narrowed her eyes in confusion. "What is it Pyro?"

"I don't know..." he said before turning away from her, running his hand in a frustrated gesture through his hair. "But usually I remember everything from my past lives, but an event where the power of one Elemental doing something like this...it's blank."

Raina nodded. "I know. It's almost like..." Her eyes widened as a thought crossed her mind. "You don't think that Airiala...?"

Pyro nodded to the unfinished question.

"I think the Wind Elemental has discovered the Ultimate Truth."

* * *

Lando was in a great mood.

Airiala was no longer going down into the dusty dungeons, that nasty Potions Master wasn't talking to her anymore, and Airiala was right there and nearly his.

All he had to do now was reel her in.

He knocked on the door to her room, a bouquet of daisies in his hand. He wasn't sure what type of flower she really liked, but he hoped that it was daisies. They were simple, yet beautiful, just like her.

The door opened and Lando's smile dropped.

Airiala looked like she hadn't slept in days, her hair was flat and lacked the brightness it normally had, and her eyes...

Her eyes almost looked dead.

"Airiala? Are you okay?"

She looked at him, or more likely looked through him. "Lando?"

He nodded, confused by what he was seeing. How was this possible? What had happened to his beautiful Wind Elemental?

* * *

Severus was busy cleaning up his office. It was what he always did on the last day of the school year and he wasn't about to change it now.

Besides, he hadn't really cleaned up since that night except for his papers and it finally was driving him mad. Anger filled him as he lifted another item back onto it's shelf.

Airiala did this. Airiala ruined his office.

Airiala hurt him just as Lily had, only worse. At least Lily hadn't slept with him out of loneliness or pity. Lily, at least, had the decency to walk away and ignore him instead of filling him with hope and then bashing it into the ground like Airiala had.

She was the lowest person he knew and he no longer wanted to think about her at all.

He put away another potion item and turned to get the next one. His thoughts still filled with Airiala.

He had just placed the last item back on it's shelf, his mind still whirling with thoughts of Airiala and his current anger at her when he felt a sharp pain in arm followed by a violent shake of the ground.

* * *

Lando opened his mouth to speak when the building rocked violently. The daisies in his hand went flying as he body slammed down to the ground. He looked over at Airiala and found that she too had hit the ground.

Footsteps were pounding on the ground and the other Elementals came around the corner.

"It's time," Pyro said firmly. "He's here."

They wasted no more time and proceeded to run down the hallway. Students were clogging everything and it made it difficult to run. They knew that they only had a matter of time before Voldemort arrived and made his official move.

That first hit had been a warning shot, he wouldn't do such again.

They found Harry, surrounded by Ron, Hermione, and a whole gaggle of teachers. Severus was not among them.

Airiala mentally shook the thought from her mind. She couldn't think about him right now, she couldn't think about Severus. She had to focus at the task at hand. If what she believed was true and her words to Severus the other day had caused her powers to short out she would need ever ounce of her concentration to get any movement out of the wind.

She shouldn't think at all about...

"Severus!"

Airiala turned her head and saw the man approaching, wand in hand. He walked right passed her, not even sparing her a glance. Her chest constricted in pain at the indifference he showed her.

"Minerva, he's coming fast. We need to find a way to slow him down a little until the Order members can arrive."

Raina stepped forward. "I have an idea." She turned to Lando. "Can you make the ground nothing but dirt?"

Lando nodded and then lifted his hands before jerking them down towards the ground. The grass that had been growing so beautifully was gone, leaving nothing but a dirt field in it's wake.

Raina stepped forward and took a large water bubble from the lake and dropped it onto the field, turning all the dirt into sticky mud.

Pyro smirked. "Good plan Raina, that will slow them down a little, but their magic will still reach us." He turned to Airiala.

"Do you think that you can make it windy out there, enough that the magic spells they may hurl at us would be pushed off course?"

Airiala took a deep breath. To do that would require a large amount of her energy, and she wouldn't be able to do anything else in the meantime. She glanced at Severus and then back at her fellow Elementals.

"I can," she said before stepping forward.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before forcing her powers. The wind began to blow, gently at first and then a little more powerful.

Under normal circumstances, something like this would be nothing, but at this moment it was taking every ounce of her power to get the wind to blow at all.

"Come on Airala," Raina said. "You can do it."

Airiala fell to her knees, her body was crying out to stop, but she continued to force it. She knew that it would be difficult, but this was getting ridiculous.

Across the now muddy field, men emerged from the Forbidden Forest. Deatheaters, one and all, being lead by Voldemort.

He was a hideous man, resembling more of a snake rather than a man, bald and pasty white and no real nose, only slits where the nose should be. Pyro kept his eyes on Airiala as tried to make the wind blow harder while Lando and Raina continued to make the mud field muddier and Lando even went to work moving the mud around to make it more difficult to walk on.

Airiala looked up at the approaching army and knew that this power wasn't going to be enough.

If she wanted to protect her friends and her Elemental family, she had no choice.

She was going to have to tell the Ultimate Truth.


	2. Chapter 2

**I don't own Harry Potter, just saying.**

Airiala continued to force the wind across the grounds. She knew that what she was doing wasn't really helping anyone, but it was still slowing the Deatheaters down slightly.

Raina had started throwing balls of water at them which Pyro and Lando hurling their own elements as well. Fire, Water, and Earth flew across the fields like cannons, some strong enough that the Deatheaters were hurled back towards the Forbidden Forest.

Not a single shot aimed at the Dark Lord hit him, nor did the mud or wind have any effect.

Airiala knew that only the Ultimate Truth combined with the power of Harry Potter would defeat Voldemort, but at the moment she was very nearly collapsed to the ground with all the effort she was using to keep the wind blowing. If she said the Ultimate Truth now it would kill her before she could use it to help anyone.

She looked up and saw Lucius Malfoy in the crowd. Anger filled her veins as memories of his attacks over the year returned to her.

She forced herself to her feet and focused her power into a tornado storm out on the field. She hadn't attempted this since that day at the beginning of the year, but she wasn't about to stop now. The wind focused out on the crowds and Airiala could hear the voices around her now.

"Airiala, stop!" Lando.

"Airiala, what are you doing?" Raina.

"Airiala, that's dangerous!" Pyro.

All around her she could hear voices telling her to stop, but the one voice she wanted to hear the most remained silent. If he wasn't concerned about her, then she wasn't going to worry about killing herself.

It didn't matter anyways right, he hated her now. Maybe she could blow them away and she wouldn't have to worry about revealing the Ultimate Truth. She could slowly die from any attempt to use her magic.

She fell down to one knee. Assuming that this didn't kill her first.

She forced herself, yet again, back to her feet and focused all her energy into the tornado that she was now whipping across the fields.

Voldemort's eyes focused on her for a brief moment before he too was swept up in the storm.

Once all the Deatheaters were flying about in the tornado's winds, Airiala used her last bit of strength to push the tornado as far from Hogwarts as she could.

Her ears were ringing and her heart was pounding, but she still pushed until her body gave out and she collapsed.

Lando rushed forward the minute Airiala's body hit the ground, Raina and Pyro right behind him.

He gently checked for a pulse and found it weak beneath his fingers. "My god! She's still alive!"

Raina and Pyro fell next to the girl as well and Raina also checked for a pulse. "It's weak, but it's there. We need to get her to the infirmary as soon as possible."

"How do we move her?"

Suddenly Airiala lifted into the air, suspended by a spell. The other three Elementals turned to see Severus using his wand to keep Airiala immobile and levitated. He turned without saying a word and guided the unconscious girl down the hallway.

The other teachers and staff were too busy making battle plans to really notice, except for Dumbledore.

He had stayed out of the way for most of the situation regarding Airiala, Severus, and the other Elementals. He knew that he couldn't interfere in the Ultimate Truth, that it was something that would show itself in time.

In his own personal research he had learned that the Ultimate Truth was something that only the Wind Elemental could speak and wield, but it would come at a great cost. What that cost was he hadn't had time to discover, but he was willing to bet that her life could very well hang in the balance.

Dumbledore wanted nothing more that to see both Airiala and Severus happy, with each other. He wasn't blind and had noticed the mutual feelings growing between the two.

He just wasn't sure what had happened recently to cause the two of them to stop speaking to each other.

* * *

Severus slowly lowered the Air Elemental onto the bed in the hospital wing. Several students were in there with various injuries after Voldemort's initial attack.

Lando rushed to the girl's side and Severus felt a rush of possessiveness and anger fill him before he pushed it aside. She didn't care about him and she wouldn't look to him to solve her problem of loneliness again.

She had the Earth Elemental.

Raina and Pyro stood next to Airiala's other side, both with worried look on their faces. Severus turned and looked at the Air Elemental, really looked at her, for the first time since she had fallen.

Her hair was limp and lifeless, her face paler than he had ever seen it, her eyes had dark circles under them, and her lips were pale rather than the pink that he remembered.

He couldn't help the worry that filled him at seeing her that way. What had happened to her? When had this started?

He thought back to when she was using her powers to push the Deatheaters back. She had fallen to her knees twice when the last time he had seen her use such power she had been able to walk and remain standing for a short time afterwards. She hadn't looked so close to death as she did now.

What had changed?

"Airiala?" Raina said gently brushing the girl's bangs from her face. Severus watched as Lando reached out and pushed Raina's hand away. He glared at the girl, as if it was her fault Airiala was lying in that bed.

Raina's eyes widened at Lando for a moment before she turned a concerned look to Pyro then back to Airiala.

"She's mine," Lando said firmly. "No one is going to be touching her but me."

Severus glared at the young man and almost reached out and yanked him from Airiala's side. She didn't and couldn't belong to anyone. She was the Wind Elemental and, as such, couldn't survive in such an environment.

He had realized that a long time ago, but thought that maybe they could find a way to be together, but he knew that was impossible after all.

Instead he turned and walked out of the infirmary. He had to get back to the front to help with strategy and battle plans before Voldemort returned from wherever Airiala had tossed him.

* * *

Airiala was in a dark place.

She was light and floating, but she knew that this was somewhere in between life and death. Despite the darkness she felt light and relaxed, more so than she had in a really long time.

She thought it would be nice to just stay here and not go back to the real world and not deal with the Ultimate Truth at all.

"You need to go back."

Airiala opened her eyes slowly. She expected to see more darkness, but was surprised to see that she was lying in a green field with a gentle breeze blowing over her.

She sat up slowly and looked around before her eyes landed on a young woman standing only a few feet away from her.

She was smiling at Airiala, her dress dancing slightly in the wind. Her dress was brown and looked like it was something out of another era. Her gray hair was pulled back in a bun on her head, and her silver eyes were shining behind a pair of glasses.

Despite she had never laid eyes on this girl before, Airiala felt a kinship to her and stood to face her.

"You don't belong here yet," the woman said to her softly. "Someday you will, but not today. You need to go back."

"To what?" Airiala said firmly. She took a deep breath and looked to her right towards the horizon. "Severus doesn't love me, and if I reveal the Ultimate Truth all that will happen is that he will reject me and I will die. I'm already here, so why don't I just stay?"

"You aren't dead."

Airiala turned back to the girl in shock. "What are you talking about?"

The girl stepped forward towards Airiala. "This isn't heaven, you aren't dead."

Airiala looked around at the peaceful surroundings and then back at the girl before her. "If I'm not dead, then where am I? Who are you?"

The girl smiled wider. "You know who I am, and this is just a place in your heart and soul that all Elementals could access if they tried hard enough. This is where all your previous incarnations exist, and this is the only place where the Ultimate Truth is known.

"Only the most powerful of Elementals could access this. Believe it or not, not all Elementals are created equal. Your friend Lando is the perfect example. He can control the land and Earth, but he could never alter it like my friend Graize could. He too was an Earth Elemental, but he was much stronger and more powerful than Lando is.

"You are the most powerful Wind Elemental to have ever existed, and that is why you know the Ultimate Truth without revealing it unknowingly. Every other time the Wind Elemental told the Ultimate Truth it was just because they wanted to tell the person they loved how they felt, they didn't know there would be consequences. You are the first to discover the Ultimate Truth by strength, determination, and research. You are also able to do so much more now that you know it."

The girl stepped forward and leaned in close to Airiala, her nose almost touching Airiala's.

"You, Airiala, can use the true power of the Ultimate Truth and wield all the elements at once."


	3. Chapter 3

**I don't own Harry Potter. Please don't forget to read and review! :)**

Airiala awoke with a start, leaping up and nearly knocking heads with Lando who was leaning so close to her.

Lando jumped back quickly and ended up on the floor next to her bed. Airiala didn't notice as she observed her surroundings.

She was back at Hogwarts, in the infirmary. She wasn't sure how she had gotten there, but she knew that she had to get out of there.

If what she had just learned was true, then she could reveal the Ultimate Truth and be able to save everyone before slipping into her coma and dying. She could still help Harry like they had planned from the start.

She could still help end this.

"Airiala!" Raina said with a wide smile. She looked like she was going to lean in for a hug but changed her mind at the last minute. Airiala was confused about that, but didn't say anything. It wasn't important right now.

All that mattered was...

"Where's Severus?"

Raina's eyes widened in surprise before she had a smile grace her lips. "He's at the front with the other teachers. They are planning some sort of strategy to..."

Raina never got to finish what she was going to say.

The building shook, much more violently than before. Apparently Voldemort didn't like being flung out of the area as he had been and was taking it out on the school.

Airiala wasted no time flying out of the bed and out of the room, leaving the other Elementals behind. There was no time if Voldemort was back in action.

She turned down a hallway on her path to the front of the school. The path that would lead her to Severus and the end of all this.

Suddenly her feet stopped and she hit the ground from the sudden stop. She turned her head to see what had stopped her and found herself face to face with Draco Malfoy himself. He was smirking down at her and she realized almost instantly that he had been the one to stop her.

She also knew that the power she had used to fling the Deatheaters away had taken most of her strength and there was no way she could fight this child in battle if it came to it.

"Father's been looking for you," Draco said before silencing Airiala's voice and dragging her out of the hallway.

* * *

Severus stood from where he had ducked down with the other teachers over the trio.

"What was that?" Ron said as he stood slowly.

"Voldemort," Harry said with a sneer. "That was a shot of anger. He's pretty pissed at Airiala for what she did, I'm sure."

Severus said nothing in response. He knew what the boy was saying was true. He had seen the glare that the Dark Lord had sent her before he was caught up in the whirlwind she had created. He wasn't happy and when that happened, people tend to die.

He watched as the other Order members finally arrived moments later, coming into the school through alternative means that the Dark Lord was unaware of.

Dumbledore went over to them to start updating them on the situation, but Severus found that his mind was not on the task at hand.

He was still thinking of Airiala, in the infirmary, so close to death when before such power had done little but knock the air out of her, no pun intended.

He didn't understand what had changed.

Did it have something to do with the Earth Elemental's crush on her? Or was it something different. Had it been fading all this time and no one ever noticed?

He didn't have too much longer to think about it because seconds later the three other Elementals arrived at the front, and each one looked around the room and came back looking more confused than the last.

"Where's the Air Elemental?" Severus said firmly. "Surely you didn't leave her alone up there in the infirmary?"

Lando glared at the Potions Master, but said nothing. Pyro stepped forward and spoke instead. "Airiala woke up suddenly. She asked where you were seconds before the blast on the building. Right after she took off here and we thought for sure that she would have beaten us here. We don't know where she is right now."

Dumbledore approached the group, his eyes narrowing at the confusion he was seeing. "What is going..."

"She's missing!" Lando cried out to Dumbledore. "Airiala is gone. She's so sweet and delicate and I don't know where she is. She started running here and that was the last I saw of her!"

Dumbledore looked up at the other Elementals and Severus before he let the panic begin to set in. He turned back to the group preparing behind him. "Harry!"

Harry turned at the sound of his name and approached Dumbledore quickly. His eyes filled with panic at the tension he sensed around the group.

"I need the Marauder's Map. I know that you have it."

Harry's eyes widened at that information, but he reached into his pocket and pulled out the map. "I had it on me to help keep an eye on the other entrances to Hogwarts," he said firmly. They unfolded the map and Harry spoke, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

The blank pages of the map changed until they had it all laid out in front of them.

Most of the people were either at the front entrance or in the infirmary or dorms, but there was two sets of footprints that were way outside of both of those areas, heading through a secret passage out of Hogwarts.

One set read 'Draco Malfory'

The other read 'Airiala Jones'

Severus suddenly felt as if a part of him was missing, a part that he so desperately wanted back. It was almost ten times worse than when he lost Lily.

Lando's face turned red at the sight of those sets of footprints. "She's being taken, what are we going to do?"

Seconds later the footprints disappeared from the map. Harry looked up at the Earth Elemental sadly. "There is nothing we can do, they're gone from Hogwarts grounds."

The ground shook with Lando's rage and, for the first time since meeting him, Severus felt the same as Lando.

* * *

Airiala tried to struggle, but found that, unlike his father, Draco actually cared enough to keep himself in shape and was more powerful than his father.

He would still have been no match against her had she been at full strength, but she hadn't corrected the issue with Severus yet and as a result her powers were still giving her trouble.

Draco dragged her off Hogwarts grounds, she almost physically felt it the moment they were off the grounds. She struggled, but found that she couldn't fight him off.

He pulled her through the forest quickly and quietly. The silence was deafening as almost all the creatures were now in hiding due to Voldemort's arrival there. Their breathing was the only sound that was breaking the silence, and strangely enough Airiala was glad for it.

Draco hadn't killed her, luckily. He also didn't know that she knew the Ultimate Truth either. Had he known, killing her when he found her would have assured them victory over Harry and the others.

Now she just had to keep the truth away from Voldemort and not die in her attempts to get back to Hogwarts, back to Severus.

They broke through the tree line and Airiala almost screamed, or she would have had she had the ability to do so.

There were at least a hundred Deatheaters there, all wearing masks and hoods. They were glaring at her, as if they had known that she was the reason they had been flung away when so close to their prize.

Draco didn't stop, he just continued to pull her forward, through the crowd of Deatheaters, towards the center of the field.

Never before had Airiala felt such hatred focused on her. It was almost stifling, she could barely breath.

The next second she knew, Draco flung her forward so she felt to the ground. She lifted her head slightly to find that he had flung her at the feet of the Dark Lord himself.

She looked up at him, malice in her eyes. He was even more hideous up close.

"So," he said looking down at her, "you are the Air Elemental that has been causing me all this trouble this past year. Even with Lucius' description of you I never imagined how pretty you would be."

He pulled his wand from his sleeve and lifted Airiala into the air, hovering her in front of him. He stepped forward so that he was almost nose to nose (well, if he had a nose) with her.

"Now then," he said firmly, his eyes focused on her stormy ones, "let us see what you know about the Ultimate Truth."

**Don't forget to review please, and thank you. :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Far warning: I do not own Harry Potter. I'm just borrowing the characters for a bit of craziness and then returning them to their rightful place. **

Keeping a secret when the man before you can literally read your mind is a very difficult thing to do. Airiala had to focus on anything else to keep him from being able to tell what she knew about the Ultimate Truth.

She had just gone through another verse of the song that never ends when Voldemort's face twisted into anger and she was tossed to the ground.

The impact caused all sorts of pain to run through her body and the rock she had landed on didn't help matters either.

She turned her head and glared up at him, but he didn't seem to care. He pointed his wand at her, malice and anger filled in his gaze.

"_Crucio!_"

* * *

Raina and Pyro were looking out across Hogwarts grounds in the direction Airiala had been taken. Although they knew that Airiala had been taken through the Forbidden Forest, neither one knew what they could do to retrieve her back.

Lando had wanted to send a team out to search for her and destroy the Deatheaters wherever they were, but the plan was very quickly rejected as a suicide mission that no one was going to go on. Lando was currently pouting in the corner of the Great Hall.

"Do you think that she will be okay?" Raina said softly.

Pyro pulled Raina into his arms, keeping his eyes on the treeline. "Airiala has been on her own for a very long time. I think that she can handle whatever it is that the Deatheaters throw at her."

Raina lifted her head and looked into Pyro's eyes, her own filled with tears. "But her powers are acting up. Surely you noticed just how much it took out of her to do what she did to give us more time. It almost killed her."

"Voldemort won't kill her."

The two elementals turned to Dumbledore who had joined them. "He needs all of the elementals alive to activate the Ultimate Truth properly, although they do not all have to be in the same place."

"Do you think that Airiala knows what the Ultimate Truth is?" Pyro said to the older man. Dumbledore shrugged, his eyes on the trees searching with a worried glance.

"I do not know, but if she does she needs to keep it to herself until she can return here to us."

* * *

Airiala had heard of the Crucio curse before. It was nothing new, but experiencing it and hearing about the experience then trying to imagine what it was like are two very different things.

Pain flowed out from the point of impact and caused her entire body to convulse. She held in her screams of pain, not wanting to give Voldemort the satisfaction of hearing it. She wanted to scream, to do anything to make the pain seem to lessen, but she wouldn't do it.

She rolled about on the ground as the pain increased. It seemed her lack of response was making him angrier and so he was trying to get a sound out of her now.

She wasn't sure how she was able to do it, but she found her way to her feet. The pain was unbearable, but she wanted to defy him, wanted him to know that no matter what he did he would never break her.

She lifted her eyes him, defiance in her gaze. His own eyes narrowed and he turned to Lucius, who lifted his own wand and sent another Crucio curse at her. Draco followed soon after.

Three Crucio curses caused the sound Voldemort wanted to hear. The pain was too much and Airiala fell to the ground, her scream carrying on the wind blowing around her.

* * *

Severus and Lando both looked up as the sound of a woman's scream hit Hogwarts. Suddenly Severus was filled with hope, because that was Airiala's scream. He hated the thought of her in pain, but knowing that she was meant that she was still alive and that gave him hope that he would see her again.

Despite the night he confronted her about it, he felt the need to actually speak with her again. He wanted to talk to her, to let her know that while it may have been loneliness for her, it meant something to him.

He wanted to try and make something work with her, even if only for a short time. Having her for a day was better than never having her at all.

Lando was filled with panic at the sound of Airala's scream. If she was screaming that meant that she was in pain, and if she was in pain that meant that they were hurting her, and if they were hurting her than that could mean that they would do worse things to her.

No one touched what belongs to Lando and, as far as he was concerned, that included Airiala.

* * *

Airiala was lying on the ground, her arms wrapped around her middle as the pain continued. After that first scream, she hadn't made another noise.

The wind was whirling around her, a symptom of her pain only and not something that she was controlling.

The fact that she had the wind moving at all was a good sign. It meant that her power was returning to her, but it would still never be as strong as it was before being indifferent to Severus.

Tears flowed form her eyes and still she didn't scream. She had given one scream to this pain and that was all she was willing to let go.

Then the pain stopped and Airiala felt the wind stop with it as she gulped in breath of much needed fresh air.

"Now," Voldemort said moving closer, "What is the Ultimate Truth?"

Airiala didn't respond and continued to take deep breaths into her lungs. Her skin was covered in sweat, dirt, and grass. In a moment of clarity she did the only thing she could think of to get a message to her friends.

She got up on her hands and knees, Voldemort still hovering above her, she glanced and noticed that all eyes were on their master, none were on her other that Voldemort's.

She drew a map and a wrote help before Voldemort hit her on the back of her shoulders sending her back to the ground.

"To Lando," she whispered, her hand flat on the map. She felt the grooved disappear and was thankful that this part of her plan worked when she felt someone grab her hair and used it to lift her to her knees.

She looked up at the Dark Lord, a children's nursery rhyme repeating in her head. If Voldemort tried to take what he wanted from her by force, she was going to at least try and make it difficult for him.

* * *

Severus, Lando, and the rest of the staff were standing in the front corridor of the school. Many of them planning and some hoping for the best result in this battle.

Raina and Pyro were sitting by the front doors watching a pacing Severus and foot-tapping Lando.

"I feel like this could have been avoided had we never gotten involved with the relationship," Raina said finally. "She may have fallen for Lando on her own."

"Do you seriously believe that?" Pyro said, his eyes focused on Severus. "I don't think it would have mattered either way. Lando doesn't love her, he just wants her because she is a fellow Elemental and, to him, it makes sense. Severus has no ulterior motive to care for her at all, and yet he does."

"Is that why you wanted to be with me Pyro? Because I was another Elemental?"

Pyro moved his eyes from Severus to Raina, whose blue eyes were looking up at him with concern for her friend and sadness at what they were witnessing.

"Honestly, I feared the Water Elemental," he said softly. Raina's eyes turned to confusion and Pyro almost laughed, but his worry for Airiala was too great. "I am the Fire Elemental, and what is used to put out fires? Water.

"I feared that the Water Elemental would want to put me out or we would be enemies. Then, when I met you, I knew that there was nothing I needed to fear. I feared Lando more than you because I feared he would fall for you and take you from me."

"Then why...?" It didn't need to be said what she was referring too. He remembered the pain in her eyes all too well.

Pyro looked over at Lando and then back at Severus before returning his eyes to Raina. "I was scared you would break my heart. Scared that you would hurt me with your powers, or that I would hurt you with mine. I'm fire and you are water and in my mind they couldn't mix. I was too blind to see that without fire and heat, water could not become vapor and make clouds and rain, could not help create life.

"I knew then that I needed you to be with me more than anything else." He looked up at Severus. "Like that man, I know that I was wrong to push you away and wrong to hurt you. I just hope that you could come to forgive me one day."

Raina gently touched Pyro's chest, right above his heart. He turned his eyes back to her and she looked up at him with all the emotion that she was feeling for him but could not say at this moment.

"You're already forgiven."

Pyro smiled at her before turning to look at Lando, who had just stopped his foot tapping and was now leaning down towards the ground.

Lando stood and looked back at Pyro and Raina before waving them over.

"Lando is calling us."

The two Elementals walked over to Lando, who was once again kneeling down towards the ground. "Lando?"

"Airiala is alive," Lando said with a smile, "and she is calling for my help."


	5. Chapter 5

**I don't own Harry Potter. **

Having someone delve into your mind forcefully is not a very pleasant experience. A mix of several images filled Airiala's mind as Voldemort scanned her memories for the Ultimate Truth.

Some were images that Airiala had conjured while thinking of things to distract him. Imagining fairy tales as actual beings going through a story was even more difficult with him pulling memories of her childhood and recent past into it.

Airiala watched as Red Riding Hood ran through her mother's kitchen, her father chasing her like he was the Big Bad Wolf, Humpty Dumpty playing music in her bedroom, and Cinderella sitting next to her on her way to Prom.

Voldemort was getting frustrated, Airiala could tell. He was having a hard time telling what was real and what wasn't making it nearly impossible to tell him anything regarding the Ultimate Truth.

Finally, after seeing her in bed with Prince Charming (who had black hair and dark eyes), Voldemort tossed her to the ground.

Airiala hit the ground hard, air escaping from her lungs at the impact. She took a deep breath feeling the bruises she was sure were forming on her.

"You may be able to hide the Ultimate Truth from me with your little mind tricks, but make no mistake that I have other ways of making you tell me what I want to know," he growled at her before turning to Lucius.

Airiala took a moment to relax from the mental attack and prayed that her message had reached Lando and the other Elementals. Hopefully they were making some sort of plan to stop Voldemort without the Ultimate Truth.

Cause as long as she was in his grasp she could never reveal it.

* * *

"What do you mean Airiala is calling for you?"

Lando was smiling the widest smile Raina had ever seen. It was a little annoying considering that the reason he was smiling was because Airiala was in danger.

"I mean that she sent a message to me using the Earth below her feet. Smart girl really. Had she tried to send it to anyone else it wouldn't have done anything, but it came to the Earth Elemental. I knew that she needed me. I knew it!"

Raina looked at Pyro who was looking at Lando concerned.

"What did it say exactly?"

Lando turned back to the other two Elementals, who were both looking at him like he was crazy. He blinked at them and then glared at them.

"Are you implying that Airiala wasn't calling for my help? I'll have you know that I know that she needed me otherwise she would never have sent me a message."

"But you said it yourself," Raina said softly. "The message only came to you because you are the Earth Elemental. Had she tried to send it to me or Pyro it wouldn't have gone anywhere. Just because she used the resource she had doesn't mean that she was calling for you specifically." Lando's eyes narrowed further and Raina lifted her hands in defense. "I'm just pointing out facts Lando. I don't want you to get your hopes up."

Lando laughed then, an angry laugh that had Raina backing up closer to Pyro. "You really think that she wouldn't fall for me?" Lando said harshly. "She knows the consequences of falling for a non-Elemental and that is why she wants nothing to do with that nasty Potions Master. She will come to love me, and this message is just the first step to her accepting me as her own."

Pyro pulled Raina behind him and stepped forward. "What are you talking about Lando? What consequences?"

Lando shrugged. "Anyone stupid enough to reject an Elemental's love is doomed to extreme pain for the rest of their lives, that is all. I found that information in the library and brought it to her attention is all. Couldn't have her going off falling for someone else when she is destined to be mine, now can I?"

Raina gasped. "You showed her that? But what about the other half that shows that if the non-Elemental loves the Elemental as strongly that that love will last for all time, did you show her that?"

Lando looked at Raina with disgust written on his features. "Why would I do that? It isn't the important part of it."

Pyro's eyes flashed as anger washed through him at Lando's actions. "That is the most important part, especially if she was beginning to fall for Severus."

"The Potions Master again? Listen, Airiala came to her senses and turned that man away. She knew better than to try and make it work with him when she knew that I am the much better choice."

Pyro wanted so badly to hit him, but he never got the chance. Raina stepped forward and slapped Lando across the face, knocking the boy to the ground.

Lando groaned as he hit the ground. He looked up at Raina and Pyro with shock and confusion in his eyes. Raina glared at him while Pyro looked at her in shock.

"I've seen a lot in my time here at Hogwarts Lando," Raina said in a firm tone, "but I have never seen anyone act as selfishly as you have. If you want Airiala to love you then you need to be honest towards her and know that, in the end, she may not choose you, and you should accept that gracefully. Airiala deserves to be happy with a man she chooses, not one that forced himself upon her."

Raina turned and walked away, leaving both the men behind her. Lando looked up at Pyro with hurt in his eyes.

"Pyro?"

Pyro shook his head. "She's right. Airiala and Severus may not be the same when it comes to magical abilities, but I know that he cares for her far more than you, or he, think he does. Airiala deserves that, not a spoiled little boy like you."

Lando looked down at the ground, the words of his friends going through his head. He listened as Pyro walked away from him, he didn't bother to look up to know that he had gone after Raina.

Was it so wrong of him to want an Elemental to be his wife? To want someone who understood the call of his element when it called to him and who had her own element that called to her as well?

He didn't think it was wrong to want someone to spend the rest of his life with and for that someone to be of equal ability to him. But they were right about one thing and even he knew it, Airiala deserved to make that decision on her own.

Even if her choice wasn't him.

Lando stood and took off after Pyro and Raina. There was a map included with Airiala's note, and he was going to need all the help he could get to rescue her.

* * *

She felt the fingers grasping her hair moments before she was lifted off the ground by it. She had seen it in the movies many times, but never imagined that being lifted by the hair would hurt so damn much.

She was turned and found herself face to face with Lucius Malfoy. He looked so happy to finally have her in his grasp and Airiala couldn't blame him for that. She had been embarrassing him most of the year.

"I think that I know exactly what this little Wind Elemental holds most dear to her heart that we could use against her," Lucius said firmly. "And if I'm wrong then at least we still get the satisfaction of taking revenge against that traitor."

Traitor? Airiala narrowed her eyes in confusion before realization dawned on her and her eyes widened in shock.

Severus.

They wanted to hurt Severus.

Lucius smiled at her reaction. "Seems I hit a nerve," he said in a confident tone. "I knew the moment I saw you in the Great Hall and Severus was trying to pass you off as a student to protect you that there was something more going on than meets the eyes. Tell me," he ran a finger down her cheek causing Airiala to shiver in disgust. "Was he very good to you, when you were in bed together?"

Airiala forced the memories down, knowing that Voldemort was still reading her, but it seemed as though he had found exactly what he was looking for and was pushing that forward.

Memories of Severus from the past year filled her mind.

Severus in Hagrid's hut, healing shirtless as he ate the stew she brought him.

Severus adding potions ingredients as she read them out to him.

Severus yelling at her.

Severus' shocked expression when she kissed him.

Severus eyes when they made love.

Severus's hurt expression when she told him it was just lonliness.

Severus fighting with the other teachers.

Severus.

Voldemort's laughter brought Airiala back to Earth as Lucius dropped her back to the ground. She glared up at the two men with such hatred that it couldn't be denied.

"Severus will suffer either way," Voldemort said firmly. "But this does make it much more interesting."

Airiala glared up at Voldemort and then at Lucius. "You want to know the Ultimate Truth?" she said firmly.

Lucius raised an eyebrow at the girl and Voldemort smirked at her. "I knew you would tell us in exchange of Severus' life."

Airiala took a deep breath. "The Ultimate Truth is..."

Voldemort and Lucius leaned forward to listen to what she had to say.

Airiala glared at them both before speaking.

"I hate Severus Snape."

* * *

It was subtle change in the air, but everyone stopped when it happened. The wind had stopped completely.

Severus was in the middle of a planning session when he felt the change occur. He didn't know how he knew that something had changed, but he had.

He saw across the yard when the Water Elemental fell to the ground, tears in her eyes. The Fire Elemental pulled her into his arms and held her. Severus didn't know he was moving until he reached them.

"What is it?"

Pyro looked up at Severus, sadness filling his eyes. "The wind has stopped."

Severus nodded. "I noticed, what does it mean?"

Lando came up then, his own eyes filled with sadness. "It means that the Wind Elemental is no more and soon another will take her place."

Severus' eyes filled with shock.

"It means, Airiala is dead."


	6. Chapter 6

**I don't own Harry Potter, only the original storyline and my characters.**

Being told Airiala was dead caused Severus to feel something he hadn't fully anticipated, despair and rage.

The two emotions waged war within in him before rage finally took control. He turned from the grieving Elementals and walked back to the planning session with new purpose and determination. He was beyond pissed and the pain in his chest was only intensifying.

The Dark Lord was really going to feel it now.

Airiala blinked up at a cloudy sky. The clouds weren't moving and she knew that she had done it. She had told the Ultimate Lie.

She sat up slowly and found that there were only a few Deatheaters in the area remaining, all lying on the ground. She blinked in confusion before she realized what must have happened. Memories of the last few minutes came back to her as she looked around her.

She told the Ultimate Lie and then the reserve power inside of her burst out in a flash and knocked her out. It must have knocked the Deatheaters across the field and into the nearby forests as well. She stood and quickly started back towards Hogwarts. Voldemort had been knocked away from her and that gave her the opportunity to return to her friends.

She felt weak, being magic-less would take a little getting used to. For a moment she wondered how muggles could handle being so weak, but then she remembered that they didn't know any better.

Moving much slower than she would have liked, Airiala moved into the Forbidden Forest, disappearing into the trees, and back towards Hogwarts.

Back towards Severus.

* * *

Lucius had never seen his master so enraged, not even when the Potter boy had bested him. The wind elemental was gone, the only trace remaining was the bent grass spot where she had been sitting on her knees the moment she spoke her hatred for Severus. The minute those words had been spoken all the Deatheaters had been blasted back by the strongest force of wind Lucius had ever seen the girl produce.

It was brief, but just enough to separate her from the rest of the Deatheater army.

They already knew that it was lie as she spoke it. There was no way with what they had seen and with what the Dark Lord had read in the girl's mind she could hate Severus Snape. Yet she had spoken it at the Ultimate Truth.

Voldemort hated when his goal was kept from him. He glared at the spot before turning back to Lucius.

"Forget the girl," he snarled. "From what I can see, the wind she controls is no longer working for her and she is powerless. She means nothing to us now. We march on Hogwarts now."

* * *

Severus was focused as he maneuvered everyone into their positions to defend the castle.

He was in the Astronomy Tower, setting up a few students with telescopes as look-outs for the Forbidden Forest, where they were sure the Dark Lord was lying in wait to attack, Airiala's blood on his hands.

He turned to grab another piece of equipment when he found himself looking directly into the saddened eyes of the Water Elemental.

"May I speak with you a moment Professor?"

He didn't do his usual sneer, the look of pure sadness on her face kept him for doing so. He nodded before turning back to the students. Once he was sure that they were set and they knew exactly how to shoot off the warning flare did he turn back to the waiting Elemental. The two of them walked out of the tower in silence, waiting until they were a good distance away from curious teenage ears.

"I know you are saddened about Airiala's death," she said. "There is no way you couldn't be. You cared for her..."

"Stop!" Severus said firmly, actually stopping in the hallway at his own words. Raina stopped as well and looked back at him. "Now is not the time for this discussion. Was is coming and many others will fall. To grieve one life now would be a waste of time and focus. My main focus has to be protecting as many of these lives as I can so that the grief will not be so great later."

"Your personal grief will be great no matter what," she replied calmly. Severus said nothing in response to her. There was nothing he could say.

She was right, on everything. He was sad about Airiala's death, he was grieving her and would do so even if no one else died today. His grief for Lily's death had been great and had taken years to suppress and mourn, although most of that may also have been attributed to guilt at his part in her death. To this day a part of him still grieved for Lily Potter and what could have been.

Airiala's death was going to be just as bad, if not worse. He had held her, kissed her, and for a brief night she had been his in a way that Lily never had been. He cared for her, just as the Water Elemental had said.

They had started walking again, in silence, towards the Great Hall. Severus' mind was working overtime planning spells and attacks as well as going over everything that the Water Elemental had brought to light within him regarding Airiala.

When they reached the Great Hall, Raina lifted her hand and placed it on Severus' arm causing him to stop and turn to look at her.

"It will be okay, she said. "We will talk again after, all of us."

She didn't have to say who the 'all of us' was, Severus already knew. They had accepted him into their group of Elementals and would be able to mourn with them rather than alone.

As Raina walked away to the other Elements Severus felt a rush of calm wash over him. He knew a battle was coming, and he could mourn afterwards and he wouldn't have to face it alone as he had Lily's death.

He wished Airiala was there to help in the fight.

* * *

Airiala groaned as her muscles ached as she climbed the tree she was trying to hide in. How she missed magic at this moment. A cool breeze would have been very welcome as she wiped the sweat from her brow.

She hid in the tree amongst the branches and leaves as the army of Deatheaters stepped into the area. She held her breath, not wanting a single sound to escape as they passed under her.

She could see Voldemort in front and she glared at him, but made no other movement. She did the same when Lucius passed by as well. She heard several of the Deatheaters laughing maniacally, once was Bellatrix for sure.

She waited until they had passed her completely and then waited for several moments more longer before she moved back down the tree. She moved down the tree slower than she had gone up, listening for any sign of random animals or stray Deatheaters that might pass by as she was still so vulnerable.

Her feet touched the ground and she let out the breath she hadn't known that she had been holding.

"You told the Ultimate Lie."

She spun at the voice. She had heard nothing coming up behind her when the voice made itself known and she was terrified that it would be another Deatheater coming to take care of her, like a pest.

Once her eyes focused after the quick spin around, Airiala's panic faded into shock and confusion, her eyes widening at the being before her.

"You...You're...It's impossible!"

The figure smiled. "Not for the Elemental who will use the Ultimate Truth successfully. You have the power to see me in your darkest hour. You can see me because we share something very special in common.

"We both care about Severus Snape."


	7. Chapter 7

**I don't own Harry Potter.**

Harry wasn't sure what to expect as he prepared for this last battle. He looked at his friends as they stood next to him, their eyes focused on the army they were about to do battle with, the army standing just within the treeline of the Forbidden Forest.

He could feel Voldemort's eyes on him, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. Teachers and Order members surrounded him, protecting him for any future attacks.

Dumbledore stood next to him at the moment. "Things will never be the same again, will they?"

Dumbledore looked down at the young man standing next to him. He had watched Harry grow from the small sleeping baby they left on the Dursley's doorstep into a mischievous schoolboy that would have given his father a run for his money to the man standing next to him. So young and already knowing so much suffering.

"No," Dumbledore said solemnly. He looked past Harry to where the Elementals were standing together. They were still mourning the lost of Airiala and knowing that, without her, the Ultimate Truth would never be revealed. Still they wished to fight for what was right. "Not, it won't."

* * *

Raina focused on the water in the lake. She was limited because she could only take so much before she risked the lives of the creatures that lived there. Her secondary focus was on Lando, Pyro, and the army they could just barely make out at the treeline of the forest.

Pyro was flicking his lighter, waiting for the perfect moment to use his element. Lando was kneeling, his hands flat on the ground before him, waiting for the battle to start so he could manipulate his own element.

No fog, no wind, no help from Airiala. She was gone, her magic gone, and soon another Wind Elemental would take over that power and the wind would start again.

Raina blinked, her mind clearing. It had been several hours since they had felt Airiala's death. The wind should have restarted by now, a new Wind Elemental should have been born. The world wouldn't survive too long without one of the Elementals so usually the change-over was quick.

Was it possible? Could Airiala's powers simply be sealed from them rather than her be dead? Was it possible that Airiala was still alive?

Hope filled Raina for the first time since the wind had stopped. She refocused on the task at hand, her determination stronger than ever. As much as she wanted to run and find Airiala at that moment, just to confirm her suspicions, it would have to wait. Airiala would still be there after all this.

The battle was about to begin.

* * *

Airiala's gray eyes remained wide as she stared at the figure before her. She had seen a picture of her, but never expected to see her in person.

"You're..."

The figure smiled before stepping forward. "Yes, I'm Eileen Prince, I'm Severus' mother."

Airiala took a step forward. She reached out her hand and watched as it fell through Eileen's arm. She jumped back in surprise, looking at her hand as if it was the issue she hadn't felt Eileen's arm.

Eileen looked just like the picture Airiala had seen in Severus' file. She had long midnight black hair and the same dark eyes as Severus. She had a face that, had she not been smiling, would have been stern. Because she was smiling, it was softer and kinder. She was dressed in a dark gown completing the gothic look, but she had an unearthly glow about her that kept her from being too dark.

"You're dead," Airiala said firmly. Eileen nodded, still smiling. "But I can see you?" Again Eileen nodded. "Because of the Ultimate Truth?"

Eileen chuckled at Airiala's confusion. "Yes, Airiala. You and you alone can see me now."

"I really don't understand how that is possible. I told the Ultimate Lie, not the Ultimate Truth."

"Not yet, but you will."

Airiala took a deep breath. "I see. Once I do that I'll die. It makes sense that I would see dead people at this moment."

"Not people, just me."

Airiala's eyes narrowed at the woman. "Why just you?"

Eileen stepped forward so she was almost nose-to-nose with the Wind Elemental. "Because, as Severus' mother, I had to know what kind of woman you were." She smiled again. "The woman who loves my only son."

Airiala felt the blush fill her cheeks. It was one thing to admit it to herself in her head, it was another to hear someone say it out loud like that. Shock and embarrassment filled her as her blush deepened.

Eileen continued to smile, as if Airiala wasn't standing there in shock. "Don't be so surprised. Any Wind Elemental who could speak the Ultimate Truth could see a deceased loved one of the person they love, as long as they were paying attention.

"You are the first to have done so."

Airiala sighed. "I seem to be the first in a lot of things today."

Eileen laughed, a soft laugh that Airiala hadn't expected her to have. "That is true. You are also the first to say the Ultimate Lie completely. Most just deny any feeling other than friendship or compassion, but none have said outright hatred before. You are also the first to know love so deeply. When you say the Ultimate Truth your enemies will not be able to defeat you or any of your friends. It will be spectacular!"

Airiala chuckled darkly. "Spectacular huh? Right up until I die of a broken heart."

Eileen shook her head at the girl, still with a soft smile on her face. "Severus may surprise you."

Airiala looked up at the mother of the man she loved. She opened her mouth to ask a question when a burst of magical energy washed through the forest, knocking her to the ground. She sat up slowly and looked for Eileen, but the woman was gone.

Airiala wasted no time on Eileen's words. She knew how this would have to end if she was going to save everyone.

She would have to admit the Ultimate Truth to Severus and hope that there is enough time to do some damage before he breaks her heart.

Despite what Eileen had said, Airiala knew in her heart that Severus was still in love with Lily Potter.

Saying the Ultimate Truth wouldn't change that.


	8. Chapter 8

**Sorry about the shorter chapter, things are getting to the good part now. I don't own Harry Potter.**

Airiala rushed through the forest towards the school. There was no time to waste. She had to help her fellow Elementals, she had to save Harry and Hogwarts.

She had to save Severus.

She burst out of the forest and found herself in the middle of a battlefield. Wands were out pointing every which way and flashes of color flew across it as spells were cast. Airiala ducked back into the forest just as three more spells flew past her hiding place.

She glanced out from the trees and could see Raina in the distance by the lake. She was hurling water balls across the field, knocking down large groups of Deatheaters with each blast. Lando was using the now muddy fields to slow them down and keep them stuck, like trapped in molasses. She couldn't see where Lando was, but she could see his handy work easily.

It appeared at though Lando had done more than just use the muddy fields. There were large boulders all around the far end of the field where she would randomly see Order members step out from behind. She had never noticed these before because they hadn't been there before. Lando had to have brought them in for this exact purpose. She couldn't see Pyro or any sign of him anywhere.

She saw Harry and Dumbledore behind a large boulder in the center of all the other boulders. They were attacking but she could tell that Harry was waiting for the right opportunity to attack the Dark Lord. She could see Voldemort too, surrounded by Deatheaters, also waiting for the right opportunity to strike.

She couldn't see Severus.

Spells and defections were flying everywhere, making it difficult to see very much going on across the field. Still she continued to search for Severus. Was he dead? Injured? Fighting elsewhere? Helping inside?

She didn't know, and that worried her. She almost wished that she was like the other Elementals and able to find the last person they slept with rather than being so normal in that regard. Of course, with her powers gone it was possible that she wouldn't have been able to tap into Severus' location anyways.

Suddenly a body was knocked into the trees, heading straight for her. She couldn't tell if it was friend or foe and there was no time to move as the body slammed into hers.

The two rolled onto the ground before coming to a stop, Airiala on her back with the stranger on top of her. The stranger jumped up and took a fighting stance, glaring down at her before his red eyes focused on just who he had landed on.

"Airiala?"

Airiala smiled up at the man. "What a way to make an entrance Pyro," she said. "Maybe next time a more graceful landing is in order."

Airiala stood and instantly found herself in Pyro's arms, wrapped in a tight hug. She grunted at the impact his body collided with hers.

"We thought you were dead," he exclaimed before releasing her. He kept his hands on her shoulders, looking deep into her gray eyes with happiness. "When the wind stopped and we couldn't feel you anymore, we were so sure you were dead."

"Not dead, not yet anyways," Airiala said firmly. She turned back to where the battle was still going on. "Where's Severus?"

Pyro pointed to the castle. "Last I saw he was headed for the hospital wing. Ron Weasley was hit by the Crucio. He was able to save him before anyone was able to kill him, but he was badly injured. Severus was rushing him there to get immediate attention moments before I was hit and slammed into you. Chances are he is still in there."

Airiala looked up at the school. Severus was inside, he was still alive. Relief filled her at that knowledge.

Airiala turned her attention to Pyro. "I told the Ultimate Lie, it sealed my powers as a result."

Pyro's eyes filled with hope. "So, you know the Ultimate Truth?"

Airiala turned back to the castle, a castle where she knew that Severus was alive and well. She had to get to him, had to tell him how she felt.

She knew that it would end her life to do so, his love for Lily Potter had lasted over 17 years after her death. Despite the fact that he had held her in his arms, despite the fact that he was the first and only man to make her powers swirl without her intent, the first man to make her so angry that she saw red, the first man to show her a passion so overwhelming that her powers swirled around them as they made love, she knew that he didn't love her as she did him.

He couldn't love her.

Airiala turned back to Pyro and nodded. "Yes," she said firmly. "I know the Ultimate Truth."


	9. Chapter 9

**I don't own Harry Potter. Please enjoy!**

Severus looked down at the Weasley boy lying in the hospital bed with new respect. Despite being blasted by the Crucio curse, the boy had found the will to power through and knock his opponent unconscious.

He paid the price for the willpower now as he lay in a nearly comatose state. It was unknown if he would awaken.

No one had told Granger yet. She was still at her post in the Astronomy Tower, launching spells down to the battlefield and helping the students there under her command protect the rest of the castle from attacks. It was already decided that they would break the news to her afterwords, when the battle was over. They needed her now and it was what Weasley would have wanted.

Severus took a deep breath before turning out to head back to battle. His Dark Mark still burned, so he knew that Voldemort was still alive.

Severus was glad though. He knew that Harry Potter was destined to destroy the Dark Lord, but that didn't mean that Severus didn't want a chance to avenge Airiala himself. He couldn't do that if her murderer was dead.

* * *

Airiala and Pyro moved along the forest in silence. It was dangerous to remain where they had been standing, Lando was manipulating the tree roots making the ground unstable. Great for putting the enemies off guard, but bad for them who were just trying to get to Severus.

Pyro had wanted to question Airiala about the Ultimate Truth, but she was remaining tight-lipped on the subject. It didn't help that Pyro also knew that they were being followed.

Someone had seen them as they moved through the forest and was now following them, somewhat un-stealthily. Pyro didn't know who it was, but he know that it was an enemy.

A friend would have made themselves known by this point.

As they rounded on the Quidditch Pitch, far from the current battle at the castle gates, a blast from the stalker caused Airiala and Pyro to duck.

Pyro turned and faced the opponent, his fire at the ready.

Draco Malfoy.

The same asshole who had kidnapped Airiala in the first place.

Airiala glared at him and moved to approach, but Pyro kept her behind him.

"Go," he said firmly. "Find Severus. I'll handle this brat."

Draco glared at Pyro, but said nothing. Airiala looked from one man to the other before nodding towards Pyro and running towards Hogwarts.

Pyro stood firm, his red eyes staring into Draco's blue ones. His arm engulfed in the flame he knew so well.

"Shall we?" Pyro said with a smirk. Draco lifted his wand to the Fire Elemental.

No other words were spoken as the two engaged in battle.

* * *

Airiala rushed to the hospital wing as fast as her feet would carry her. No Deatheaters had made it into the school thanks to the efforts of the Order. She passed several Order members, too busy with what they were doing to notice that the Wind Elemental was still up and about.

She heard the screaming long before she entered the Hospital Wing.

Normally the Hospital Wing was quiet, only a few students gracing the beds unless someone accidentally blew up a potion. This was not that time.

All the beds were filled. Students and Order members were lying everyone. She could see the screamer, a young Ravenclaw boy whose leg was being worked on.

She looked around the room, but she couldn't see Severus. She found Ron Weasley, lying alone on a bed, but no Severus.

He must have returned to the battle after dropping off Ron.

She turned and left the injured to be healed. She didn't want those injuries to be in vain. If Severus was back at the battlefield then she would follow him there, powers or not.

Her drive focused, she started back to the front of the school, where the battle was still going strong.

The closer she got the front entrance, the more carnage and destruction she found. She ignored it all, her goal strictly on finding Severus. There would be time for destruction later.

Right now, she had to tell Severus the Ultimate Truth. She had to save the one she loved.

She burst out the front entrance of Hogwarts and her eyes widened in shock. The angle of the battlefield was much more devastating from this angle.

Many of the larger boulders that Lando had brought up were being used to hide some of the injured Order members and students. There was more blood and more pain on this side of the battle, or maybe it was just because there were more people that she cared about on this side.

Her eyes focused on Dumbledore and Harry, for she knew that Severus wouldn't be that far from the boy.

She was right, for right there, lying against the boulder next to Harry's leg, was Severus.

Airiala's body froze. She was focused on nothing else the moment her eyes focused on Severus. His body was resting next to Harry, his head leaning back against the boulder. He was too far away for Airiala to know why he was hurt.

"...ala?"

Someone had spoken her name. It was a woman, but she barely registered the sound. She didn't respond and simply moved, her feet rushing to get her to Severus.

She noticed nothing else as she ran to him, no other bodies, no other damage, nothing more that Severus lying next to Harry.

As she got closer she started to see more about Severus. His clothes were ripped, his face was filthy, his hair was covered in dirt and sticking up in some places.

It was like walking through a dream. She could see people getting his by spells, the ground exploding either by Lando's hand or another spell, water falling by Raina's hand, but still nothing stopped her from her path.

She slid on the muddy ground to Severus' aid. He was bloody too, she could see that now.

It was disturbing and caused panic to fill her. She reached out and gently caressed his cheek, her panic subsiding slightly at the feeling of warmth that he still had. Other than that, there was no response from him.

"Severus?" she said his name so softly, no one could hear her voice.

It wasn't until she leaned forward that Harry registered another being next to him and turned to see who had come up beside him.

His eyes widened at the Wind Elemental and he got down to her level and touched her shoulder. She didn't seem to feel his hand there. "Airiala?" She gave no move that she heard his voice.

He was close enough to hear her next words.

"Please wake up Severus. I love you."


	10. Chapter 10

**I don't own Harry Potter. **

Harry couldn't believe what he had just heard, nor did he have any time to process it before a large gust of wind rushed past stopping everything else.

Airiala stood, her eyes glowing white. She stepped out from behind the boulder and faced Voldemort, who was standing across the field.

"You will pay for all the pain you have caused," Airiala said, her voice booming across the battlefield.

Raina and Lando turned towards her, Pyro walked out from the inside of Hogwarts, a passed out Draco slipping off his shoulder like a sack of rotten potatoes, all of their eyes wide in shock.

Airiala lifted her hands, gathering her wind power, and shot it across the field like the sideways tornado at Voldemort.

The Dark Lord had no time to move before the tornado collided with his body, sucking him in.

The air screamed as it whirled around them. No one could more except to cover their ears, everyone except the Elementals and Harry Potter.

Harry's eyes were focused on Voldemort, trapped within Airiala's tornado. He could only see an outline of the man he had once known as a tyrant and villain.

"Harry," Airiala said to him. Despite the wind, she spoke in her normal tone, and Harry could still hear her. "When I say to, hit him with everything you've got. You know what to do."

The battered Boy-Who-Lived tightened his grip on his wand as he stared at the tornado. He nodded in understanding. She was right, he did know what to do.

Airiala's eyes narrowed as she tightened the tornado around Voldemort. Her silver hair flying about her head like the serpents on Medusa's.

_'Elementals.'_

Lando, Raina, and Pyro blinked. They had heard Airiala's voice, in their heads. She was talking to them as a collective unit.

_'Aim your powers at me so I can amplify and redirect them.'_

Pyro looked at Raina and Lando. Both looked hesitant. There had never been a moment when an Elemental had used their power against another. It had never been heard of and was considered close to treason if one did so.

_'I will be fine, but to save us all you must do this. Trust me.'_

Lando looked from his friends to Airiala before kneeling to the ground, his hands already lifting large amounts of soil, grass, and rock from it before hurling it at Airiala. Raina pulled water from the lake and arched it straight at Airiala, her gaze focused and determined. Pyro lit the largest fireball he could create and sent it straight for Airiala.

The three elemental powers hit her simultaneously and for a moment Pyro thought that they might have killed her. The powers swirled around Airiala before she finally reappeared. The land, water, and fire joined with the air and joined with the tornado. Voldemort's screams could be heard as the full strength of the elementals stripped away his power and evil.

It was Voldemort's scream that roused Severus. He groaned before slowly opening his eyes. That last blast had knocked him into a large boulder and knocked him unconscious.

The first thing he noticed was the way the wind was swirling around them, the roar of it almost deafening. He looked up and his eyes widened at the sight before him.

Airiala was there, alive, staring across the field at something just out of Severus' sight. There was wind, water, earth and fire swirling around her before being concentrated at whatever it was Airiala was aiming at.

He sat up higher, suddenly surprised to see the Potter boy on his opposite side with his wand at the ready, only to see what he could only assume was the Dark Lord trapped in some sort of cocoon of wind, rain, fire, and land. He was still screaming.

"Harry," Airiala said in a voice that Severus wasn't sure he had ever heard from her before. He turned to her and his eyes widened in shock as he focused on the woman before him..

Her eyes were white and narrowed at Voldemort. Her hair flew about her and he couldn't help but think that she was giving out an unearthly glow, like an angel.

She was even more beautiful than he could remember.

"Harry, now is the time," she said. Severus looked at Harry who had stepped forward, wand pointing at Voldemort's shape in the vortex. "Now!"

Airiala arms fell, the vortex vanished, Voldemort hit the ground, Harry aimed his wand and yelled out the spell that would defeat the Dark Lord forever.

Severus didn't hear any of it as he focused on Airiala. She dropped to the ground, falling backwards in slow motion. Her glowing eyes dulled and her gray eyes returned, open wide in shock. Her silver hair flowed past her face as she descended to the ground.

Harry cast another spell and Severus watched as Airiala's body hit the ground, her breath escaping and her body bouncing once on impact before settling.

Severus moved towards her, his body groaning at the movement. He dragged himself passed Harry to Airiala's side before pulling himself up into a kneeling position next to her. He couldn't believe his eyes.

She was breathing, so she was still alive. Parts of her clothes were burned, other parts soaking wet, and she was covered in dirt and mud.

He reached out and touched her cheek softly. Her eyelids fluttered open and briefly connected with his. A flash of awareness rushed through Severus.

Despite her words from before he still wanted her, needed her.

She lifted a hand and placed it on his cheek, as if she was making sure he was really there. She smiled slightly at the contact.

"Severus," she whispered before passing out again.

The other three Elementals were suddenly there. Raina knelt down on the opposite side of Airiala, her worried eyes relaxing as she saw the girl was still alive. Lando was crying in relief and Pyro was smiling.

Airiala had used the Ultimate Truth, and she was still alive.

**To Be Concluded in Ultimate Truth Revealed! **


End file.
